qik

Qik, the video messaging service, is shutting down. The long-standing service is ushering users over to Skype in their stead. Neither is a surprising move, really — Skype bought Qik in 2011, and it makes little sense to have both technologies available for mobile.

All you hyper-avid followers of Android Community and the Android platform in general may already be aware of the Video Chat app Qik. Heading to our Qik portal and you'll see instantly how much the Qik ecosystem has already penetrated the Android universe - take a look specifically at the news bits surrounding Skype's acquisition of Qik and the fact that the app shows up out of the box on the HTC Sensation, HTC Sensation 4G, HTC Evo 3D, LG Thrill 4G, and more. What Qik is announcing today is a brand new premium version of their already popular video chat app, available for download or upgrade (if you've already got the app) today.

Qik has launched the latest version of its video calling app, Qik Video Connect, promising cross-platform calls between Android and iOS devices. The new app - a free download - now allows you to see your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad 2 owning friends as you mock them for not having the latest Android.
There's also video mail, the ability to share videos with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networking sites, and support for the front and rear facing cameras on most devices. Qik has also boosted video quality and reduced battery life impact, and some phones - Samsung Galaxy Tab, Samsung Galaxy Player, Samsung Galaxy S, and Telus Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 4G - will offer VGA quality streaming when done over WiFi.
You'll need an Android 2.1 or above device in order to use the app - or of course an iOS device. Video mail is only free until June 1 2011, however, and will be a subscription service after that.
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This past Friday night, on the sci-fi series "Fringe," a Samsung Galaxy Tab made an appearance. It was towards the end of the episode entitled "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide." The character of Walter Bishop has just lost his best friend for good and is brooding in his office. Then the character Astrid shows up with an offering to cheer him up.

The bad news continues to mount for the HTC Thunderbolt as word is getting around that video chat using Skype will not be available when the 4G phone reaches customers on February 28th. A leaked page from BestBuy.com shows Skype's video chat feature will not be available as planned. But slipped dates are nothing new for this HTC Phone. As you recall from last week, it's launch date slipped a week. So chances are, we'll see Skype video calling down the road, but the question is, when?

Qik has been an extremely popular mobile video chat, mail and sharing application since its introduction which leaves no room for surprise that Skype wanted to acquire the company and all their technologies. Now Skype has fully acquired Qik and all its properties now belong to the video chat giant.

Not too long ago we found out Qik would be charging for “premium features”. This was an additional fee of $4.99 a month. Couple this fee with the 4G and hotspot fee and the EVO was becoming quite an expensive device to own. The good thing is this fee wasn’t mandatory, it just unlocked access to those unnamed premium features.

After a leak late last week suggesting that video chat on the HTC EVO 4G using the Qik app would be subject to a $4.99 monthly fee, the Qik team themselves have piped up to quell dissent. According to the company's blog, two-way video calling on the Sprint EVO 4G will be free of charge for Qik users; in fact, the subscription is "for some advanced premium features."

"Firstly, rest assured that the core Qik service that lets you communicate live from your phone to other phones, web and desktop will be FREE. Yes – this means that the core capability of doing 2-way Qik video chat will be FREE for Sprint EVO 4G users. The subscription fee will be for some advanced premium features that we are working on, which we will be announcing on June 4th – the day the amazing HTC EVO 4G phone launches."

Calls will be supported between EVO 4G handsets - if you know someone else with one - together with between other phones running the Qik app and with the company's desktop client. No word on what exactly these premium features will be, but Qik promise to tell all when the EVO 4G officially debuts on June 4th.